Frank Oostenbrink

At Kura aviation you feel like being part of a family, not just another number.

When I started Flight Training at the end of 2007 the employment market was looking good; unfortunately, when I finished in 2010 the market had become the opposite.

For many years I kept my licence and medical current and kept flying for practice and recreation on a Cessna 172. Despite sending applications to companies all over the world I was not invited to selection and so was slowly losing hope that I would find a job as a commercial airline pilot.

Shortly after my 6th CPL/IR recurrency flight in 2016 I read an article in my flying club’s monthly magazine about a pilot who had enrolled onto the BESTPILOT course at Kura Aviation. Normally I am a bit sceptical about these examples, because you can pay a lot of money and end up as just another number in another pool. But this was not a commercial magazine and this pilot’s amazing experience caught my attention. I contacted him and we had a great conversation.

I decided to contact Kura Aviation and shortly after that I had all the information I needed, and more importantly, the feeling was just right! I regained hope and soon went off to this picturesque town called Stratford-upon-Avon, where the Kura Aviation office is stationed. After a warm welcome by the Kura staff I was soon with a group of about 8 pilots who were all there for the same reason, to get their first job as a commercial airline pilot!

The Kura staff are all amazing people who really enjoy what they do and are 110% committed. This is seen during the whole course, because it was very professional and everyone is really involved.

At the end of the course I still struggled a little with communicating the competencies and therefore I got extra training from Isobel herself, all free of charge. She was dedicated to helping me and making sure I was on the right track.

Soon after completing BESTPILOT I received an invitation to Norwegian selection through Kura.

I was really well prepared and went to the selection day with confidence. Not even a week later I was in the IKEA car park when I received an email from Norwegian telling me that I had got the job as First Officer!

Looking back all I can say is I am really happy for choosing Kura Aviation and amazingly thankful for what they did. I am proud of being part of the BESTPILOT community and am sure I would not have this job without them.

At Kura aviation you feel like being part of a family, not just another number.